YOU!
by Nami Tamora Uchiha
Summary: He thought they had died. Sensei, Rin, Obito, Nami... Now here they were telling him that Orochimaru was back and they were gonna re destroy the Kannabi bridge. This time, he swore that they would all stay alive! Even if it Killed him! rated 4 language.
1. Alive

Nami watched with a sad smile as all three of Kakashi's former genin yelled at him for being late. Again. Even Sasuke was yelling. She looked back at her brother Obito. Jeez, and she thought his punctuality was bad…

"Y'know, watchin' ain't gonna help, sis…"

"Then why don't we go down there? Huh, Mister I only have one sharingan eye and I refuse to let my sister who is a medic Nin regrow the darn thing!"

"We can't go down there because we would cause trouble, and you can't regrow the eye because we don't know how the Sharingan part will affect your beloved Ka. Ka. Shi. Who just so happens to have my other eye!" He growled, punctuating each syllable.

"At least your childhood crush is still alive…" he added as he tended to taking down his tent. He thought about Rin…

"If you are done, my munchkins…" Said a slightly aggravated voice from beside Nami. The rich black and blue striped tiger glared at the siblings with stunning ice blue eyes.

"Gomenasai, Rii. Didn't mean to wake you up…" Nami muttered, stealing a glance at her older brother. He kept his back turned and mumbled a sorry that, had Rii not been given superior youkai tiger hearing, she may not have heard him. Nami barely heard a whisper.

Obito sighed as he pulled his scratched, dented, old orange-tint goggles around his neck.

"We'd better head off, Suna's our next stop. I hear the Kazekage's good friends with the Ninetails-kid."

"You mean Naruto." Nami pressed. She hated when people addressed jinchuuriki's like that. Particularly when being addressed herself. People used to call her… so many horrible names…

"……Yes. I mean Naruto……" Obito replied, noting the angry glint in his little sister's eye. He had learned to FEAR that glint. The hard way. Nami nodded and picked up her pack, put away the tents and things, and followed along with Obito on the forest floor. They did this because most Ninja preferred the trees, and they wanted to avoid them. Best place? The ground. The other reason they did this, was because Nami was deathly afraid of heights.

"There's another reason we're going to Suna, isn't there, Obito?" Nami asked when they were a good day away from Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves.

"Hai. We have a friend there."

"_We have FRIENDS in Konoha!!!!_" Nami seethed. Obito laughed.

"Friends that would've taken you straight to the Hokage for questions and trouble. We're gonna stay with Sakka-chan for a while. She's not so troublesome."

"You sound like Nara. All he ever used to say was _"troublesome…"_" Obito nodded and chuckled at the reference as Nami idly wondered what Kakashi would think of them now.

Obito was not that scrawny little loud mouth any more, but he still retained his humor. His hair was a little longer, laid flatter on his head now. His voice was much deeper and he could control his tongue when he was around others. However he still felt it necessary to taunt her for some reason. But of all the things about Obito that would probably throw Kakashi the most, was Obito's fighting. He no longer rushed head first into a battle, (mostly because it had almost gotten them both killed…Several…times…), and evaluated his opponent. Used words to enrage, not retort. Heck! He'd even ditched the orange and blue jumpsuit!!!! Long story short, Obito had _changed_.

Nami's semi-constant companion, Rii, chuckled as Nami went into what her brother called: "Kakashi-Trance-Mode". Nami glared at the huge tiger and used a water jutsu to get her to shut up.

"SUITON: MIZU-TAMA NO JUTSU!!" she yelled as she jumped up to aim. In English, that meant Water style: Water bullet jutsu! The tiger dodged and they glared at each other for a moment before breaking a quick smile. They did this all the time to keep their skills sharp. Obito shook his head and grinned, but kept running along, tree trunks a blur.

Nami's smile left as she thought some more, keeping pace with her brother. His loose black shirt and standard Jonin pants made small rippling movements as he ran. Her tight blue tank top and open old Jonin vest however, made no such movements and her faded jean shorts clung to her legs. She wondered what Kakashi would think of her now. She hadn't straightened her curly brown hair in ages, and it hadn't been cut in even longer. As of right now, in a braid, it reached her waist. Her attitude, along with her looks, had changed as well. She wasn't so quick to anger anymore, but that meant it was worse for the person who made her angry because she would really let loose. She wasn't so shy about her body, wearing half tops and the like now. But as her brother would dutifully point out, she was still very short compared to most people her age. As Obito put it, "Kakashi's not bigger than me, but you're at least about ten inches shorter than I am! Kakashi'd think you SHRANK!" Nami sighed and shook her head, laughing silently.

"Mou, Nami, we're in River country now. We'll stop in Kawagakure."

"Hai!" Nami said, not looking at Obito. She looked up at the night sky that reminded her so much of the ocean… and of the times she and Kakashi would share, just staring at the stars. She sighed. When they got into Wind country, the greenery would turn to desert sands and the sky would be her only reminder of home. How she despised going into that Kami-forsaken desert! Idly, she took out her canteen, and, using a kekkei genkai that Uchiha were not supposed to have, formed a small dragon out of some of the water. She closed the canteen and sent the hovering water dragon to scout ahead for Kawa-nin. She had heard something earlier and it had followed them. For a moment, her thoughts strayed to her eldest brother. Not Obito, but Umiru. She shuddered inwardly. Umiru despised her and Obito; would stop at nothing to kill them if he knew they were alive.

Someone screamed and a large dog barked. The little water dragon brought back a Konoha headband. Obito stopped.

"Good ears, little sister." He praised as an Inuzuka with wild hair stepped out of the brush with a large wolf-like canine. She had dark hair and red triangles on her cheeks, and the dog was coal black with cream fur on his belly and insides of his legs. _Both of them were growling. _Nami and Obito's eyes lit up with recognition.  
"Inuzuka-san!" Obito said with a smile.

"TSUME-CHAN!!!" Nami yelled. She and Hana, whose mother Nami was speaking to, had been best friends at the academy. The woman cocked her head to the side and wrinkled her nose before the familiar scents hit her nostrils. The dog stopped growling when it hit him.

"Nami! Obito-kun! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!" yelled the Tsume, who ran to hug the two. The dog bounded along beside her, and ended up knocking them all over into a heap of laughing, barking, and (let's not forget Rii here,) mewling bodies.

"Kakashi will be so glad to know you're alive and well!" Tsume said after she convinced them to stop for the night.

"Actually, Tsume-chan, we weren't gonna let him know…" 'Not yet, at least.' Obito thought.

"Wh- Why?"

"That's what I said." Nami muttered.

"Because I have a plan. Orochimaru is Coming Back. I know he is because I _saw_ him gathering an Army in Kusagakure."

"You never told me about this! Obito, why did you"- Nami stuttered. Obito shook his head.

"I didn't want to worry you. That's why we're going to Sakka's. Too see what and If, we can do anything to help. I'm thinking lot's of Sabotage missions. Since no one seems to realize we're still alive, it'll be as if Ghosts were sabotaging Orochi-teme. He won't know what hit him! And if we're captured, he won't find anything useful since we really don't know anything about Konoha anymore, we haven't been in the city so long.

"And now that Tsume knows, we have a messenger to tell them what we want Konoha to do. I'm sure the local genius will know how to fit us into the master plan."

Tsume and Nami nodded.

"So if we go to Sakka's first, we can figure out the weakest points in Orochimaru's battle plans and his base. That way, we can report through Tsume and give Konoha the best vantage possible." Nami concluded.

"Excellent plan, but I'm not one of the higher ups anymore. What do I tell Naruto-kun?"

Nami looked blankly at Tsume then at Obito, who seemed deep in thought.

"You don't tell Naruto anything. You Tell Kakashi, that Nami and Obito sent you."

"He won't believe that. He saw you "Die" with his own eyes."

"Did he check the pocket of air underneath the boulder that crushed me? Or find the underground passage that saved my sister?" Obito asked. Tsume stared at the tall grass to her right.

"Didn't think so. If he doesn't believe you, tell him to go check the rock pile that crushed me. He'll notice that they were pushed aside by a very…very… very large feline. Obito said, looking at the half asleep tiger with a knowing smirk. Tsume nodded and stood.

"Better get back to patrol duty then."

"NANI?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US YOU WERE ON PATROL! OROCHIMARU COULDA SLIPPED RIGHT PAST YA!!!!!!!!!!!" Obito yelled, with Nami desperately trying to calm him down. After Kuromaru, Tsume's dog, growled at him to his face, Obito calmed down enough to wave at Tsume as she left.

He started packing up and putting things away.

"Let's get going. All of River-country must've heard me." He chuckled. Nami sighed with a smile and packed up her things.

"Yeah. Probably."

Hatake Kakashi was known for many things. His book, his aloof demeanor, his loyalty, his tardiness, the list goes on. One thing he was not known for was his being a complete romantic sap. Every November twenty first, he would buy flowers for the one girl he really loved, and leave a small drawing, story, or a sheet of hand written music on her grave marker. After the Kyuubi attack, her body had never been found.

Today happened to be that day. Her birthday had never really been celebrated by anyone other than their team, so he made sure, since, respectively, he was the only one left, always to honor it and laminate whatever piece he brought her so it wouldn't be damaged by elements. No matter what.

"Kakashi." Said someone behind him. He turned to see Kiba Inuzuka. Tsume's youngest son.

"Ah. Yo, Kiba-kun."

"Ohayo, sensei. Mum wants to see ya." He said.  
"Tsume-chan?"

"Hai. She's at the house." Said Kiba, who was now leaning on Akamaru, his huge white dog with brown spots on his ears.

"Okay then. Ja, Kiba."

"Sayonara sens- cough!" Kiba choked, not getting to finish his sentence because of the cloud of smoke his shishou left when he used that teleportation jutsu.

"Jeez, a million jutsu on earth and ya can't make one that doesn't leave a giant cloud of smoke behind!" Kiba coughed. Akamaru sneezed and barked his agreement. Then he spotted the rose and piece of paper left on the low grave marker.

"Huh, maybe he dropped this…" Kiba said as he picked up the paper. It was a laminated painting of a young woman with waist long curly brown hair, green eyes, and a soft round face. The woman looked to be about 16.

On the back, it read, "I miss you, Waves. And I guess you've realized I was and still am in love with you. You… I can't believe you died at sixteen… You were so strong, so very beautiful…Your brother would probably roll over in his grave if he heard that from me, ne? If you grow or age where you are, I bet you're much older than in this picture, probably a lot prettier too. I can't paint or draw very well."

Kiba snorted. The young woman in the painting was **hot** to _him_, and Kakashi sensei did a darn good job on the piece. He kept reading in silence.

"Any way, I wish I had never been that arrogant little brat I was when you were around… I… If I had learned what Obito, Rin, Sensei, and You had been trying to pound into my head from the beginning, most of you would still be alive… I'm so sorry…I miss you all dearly, but…Mostly I just miss you. You are a Tamora, no matter what anyone says. You don't need any Uchiha except Obito, and he would rather have been a Tamora anyway, so... See you when I get there. I love you Nami."

Kiba was silent, and more than a little sobered by the revelation. He idly wondered what he would've been like if he'd lost Hanabi at that age. He would never have been the same. He guessed it was one of the things that made Kakashi so adamant about seeing his teammates safely home. He looked at Akamaru and showed the dog the picture. Akamaru whined and pawed at the grave marker. _Nami Tamora Uchiha._

"Yeah, that's hers Akamaru." He said quietly. Apparently his generation wasn't the only one with Uchiha problems. He quickly made sure that no one was looking before turning his hand into a paw, and neatly slashed a chunk off of the marker, throwing it to the large Uchiha portion of the cemetery. He heard it crack against another headstone.

Now it read: _Nami Tamora_.

"That's better." Kiba sighed, finding a small stone to way down the paper and the rose. Then he got up and left to see if Kakashi had left his mother's house yet.

"YOU'RE SAYING THAT THEY'RE ALIVE?!?!?!?!" Kakashi exclaimed; his visible eye was wide in shock.

"Wh- Then why aren't they Here?! Where it's SAFE?!" he shouted. Tsume and Kuromaru cringed.  
"Kakashi, Nami wanted to, but Obito said no. Not only would it cause disorder, but Obito found out that Orochimaru is gathering men in Kusa. Orochi-teme is gearing up for an all out war. They're going to do a series of sabotage missions. Destroying caravans, depleting supplies, destroying bridges-" She said. Kakashi's mind halted at the last part. His thoughts drifted to the Kannabi Bridge in Kusa. It was years ago... He thought …He thought Obito had died there.

"Obito said to tell you so that the Hokage would know it came from a trustworthy source. From what he said, Orochi-teme is back for vengeance, blood, and destruction. Your team is likely to be a high priority target." Kakashi nodded.

"I understand, and I'll take it up with Naruto immediately… I just… Nami… I can't believe that she and her brother… They're still alive!" Kakashi was so shocked and, for some reason, concentrated on a particular fiber in the floor mat, he didn't notice Kiba on the other side of the door, listening to the conversation. He decided to knock before Kuromaru found him out.

"Oi, Okaasan?" he called.

"Come in Kiba-kun." Tsume called. Kiba walked into the room where his mother and Kakashi were seated by a low table. Kakashi quietly excused himself as Kiba sat. As he left, Kakashi seemed dazed for lack of a better term. Tsume sighed.

"How much did you hear, Kiba-kun." His mother asked, more a statement than a question, letting out a sigh as she took a sip of tea from the cup in front of her.

"I caught the "I understand, and I'll take it up with Naruto immediately…I can't believe that she and her brother are still alive!" part." Kiba said, sarcastically mimicking Kakashi's obvious shock.

"Something tells me you know a little more than you should about the subject, pup." Kuromaru said quietly. Kiba looked at the dog laying in the corner, then his mother.

"You taught him to speak?" He asked. Tsume nodded. And stared at Kiba.

"Exactly what do you know, Sochi?" She asked. Kiba gulped. Sochi meant son, and she only used the word "Sochi" when she was seriously expecting a good answer.

"When you sent me to get Kakashi-shishou, he left a piece of paper on one of the grave markers. I thought he dropped it and read the back of it. On the front, there was a painting of this girl. On the back, Kakashi wrote about how he loved and missed her. How she was Nami Tamora and the only Uchiha she'd ever need was her brother Obito, who apparently would rather have been a Tamora anyway. After I read it, I found a rock to weigh the painting down and left." He left out how he had nearly cut the stone in half, getting rid of the Uchiha part of her name. His mother smiled.

"You cut the Uchiha part of her name off the stone, huh, pup. Cause there's rock under your nails." Kuromaru laughed. Kiba laughed nervously.

"Nami'd be proud, and relieved. She despised the Uchiha save for her half-brother, Obito."

"Why?"

"Same reason as her brother. Her dad was an ungrateful little retard who got on everyone's nerves; especially when he didn't get what he wanted. He was oppressive, and he thought women were only good for two things, Makin' babies and housework."

"Sounds like he made you mad a lot." Kiba said, taking in his mother's posture. Her nose was wrinkled in disgust, her arms were folded over her green Tokubetsu Jonin vest, and her head was turned to the side. Even Kuromaru was growling.

"I despised the man, and felt sorry for the poor woman who was forced to marry him as a family peace offering! Poor Taikai-chan…" Tsume said, as Hana opened the sliding door.

"Yo, Okaasan. Ototo-kun. I just saw Kakashi-san leave. He looked kinda out of it." Hana said, doing the universal sign for "crazy" by twirling her pointer finger by her head.

"That's because he just found out that someone he was close to isn't dead like he thought." Kiba said lightly.

"Oh? And who would that be?"

"You knew them, Hana." Tsume said with a smile.

"Nami and Obito."

The next few minutes were spent trying to wake up the unconscious Hana Inuzuka.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, you're telling me, that these two," Naruto said, pointing at the files on his desk, "are still alive, and are telling us when and where to strike Orochimaru? Who is BACK?" The Shichidaime Hokage asked.

You don't think it's a trap?" Minora, Naruto's elder sister, said skeptically. Kakashi shook his head.

"Tsume spoke with them personally, and there was no trace of a genjutsu in her chakra, nor did she say there was a trap. Well, unless you count the Mizu Hebi."

"The _what_?!"

"It's a chakra serpent filled with water. Nami used it to win sparring matches against me in particular when we were kids. The little thing was clear and I could never see it when she used the jutsu to find me." Minora and Naruto stared at Kakashi.

"…Okay… When did she use it on Tsume, and who knows about this jutsu?"

"Tsume was on patrol and followed them beyond the Kawa borders. Nami used it to snatch her headband and see who was following them. No one besides me, Tsume, Hana, Obito, and now you know two about this jutsu. She made a point of not showing it to anyone else.

As she put it, "I am SO Not showing it to Stuck up, Stick up his backside, Lying, Orochi-teme! And that goes for the rest of those power hungry Uchiha mongrels too!""

Minora and Naruto started laughing. Kakashi sobered down first.

"I want to find them and help with the sabotage missions. Obito's smart, he'll fit me into the plan."

"Sorry sensei, but I see Obito's strategy. Chances are, what little Orochimaru knows about Obito and his tanechigai (half-sister), is probably useless in coming up with a battle plan. Throw you into the mix; it's like the Pythagorean Theorem. Know one, figure out the rest. He knows about your sharingan and your promise to your comrades. He'd use that as an advantage. It's better if you and Tsume play messenger. For now." Naruto said, as Sasuke and Sakura came into the room.

"Oh, good. You're here. We have a very important mission. Orochimaru IS NOT DEAD." Naruto said with a deadly serious voice.

"Our mission is in Kusa. Infiltrate, find out what snake teme's up to, and report back ASAP. Got it? Good. Kakashi sensei, you'll be leading a four man cell"

"Four?" Kakashi asked, 'but there's only me Sasuke and Sakura… Who's- _Oh_.' Kakashi thought as he noticed the grin on Naruto's face.

"Ino's in charge of paperwork while I'm gone, and Shikamaru's already hashing out battle strategies! Team Kakashi leaves in one hour!"

Three loud "HAIs" rang out as the Jonin in the room disappeared, along with Minora, leaving Naruto and his nonexistent stack of paperwork alone. He sighed and laid his head on the large oak desk.

"……Orochimaru's Back…" he groaned.

"Obito-kun! Nami-chan! You're late." Scolded a young woman with short brown hair that was exactly like Nami's. Her reddish purple glasses and warm brown eyes welcomed them, but her demeanor suggested worry and anger.

"Gomenasai, Sakka chan, but there was this lady from Konoha and- OW!" Nami looked up from scraping the dreadful sand out from under her nails with a kunai when Sakka had punched Obito over the head.

"ENOUGH WITH YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSES!!!!!"

'Wow…Sakka-chan grew some serious backbone to hit Obito like that.' Nami thought, helping Obito up with a quick pull.

"Mou, Sakka-chan… He was actually telling the truth for once. Tsume from Konohagakure was following us."

"Eh? GOMENASAI OBITO-KUN!!!!" Sakka yelled, blush covering her face.

'Eh… Maybe not as much backbone as I thought…' Nami thought, picking up her strawberry smoothie from the ground by her feet, then dispelling Rii. She took a long draught of the drink as Sakka led them inside her home.

"Sakka-senpai!" said a young woman running down the street just as Sakka was about to close the door behind them.

"Faia-chan?" Sakka said as she reached them. The Kumo Nin looked around Sakka at her guests and proceeded to spaz out when she saw them, saying things not suitable for young readers, and fainted.

When the redhead rebel from Lightning country woke up, Obito was snacking on ramen with Nami, who had just gotten out of the shower and had trimmed the edges of her hair.

(And girls, if you got long hair, that is a must. You get split ends if you don't trim it.)

Sakka was just returning from the kitchen with a wet rag to put on Faia's forehead.

"Oh. You're awake!"

"Oi, Naruto-kun! Hold up a sec!" Kiba said as he tore down the hallway to get to Naruto before he used that thrice cursed Hiraishin.

"Kiba-kun?" Naruto asked, eyeing the young man suspiciously.

"You…Goin'… on…Mission… without me? ...." Kiba panted, catching his breath.

"Um, yeah."

"You little dip! Kakashi's gonna shoot off as soon as it's over! He wants to find those two missing nin _bad!"_ Kiba said, insulting Naruto because he wanted to get away from his hormonal elder sister, and giving Naruto fair warning at the same time.

"And you would know this… How?" Naruto asked. Kiba held up a laminated painting with a full paragraph of writing on the back. Naruto took it and read the back, smiling lightly.

"Think she really knows?" Naruto asked.

"Depends. Be sure to ask Kakashi-shishou all about her!" Kiba said, standing straight so that he was just a little taller than the blonde with the standard Jonin uniform and sky blue eyes.

"Will do, Kiba! " Naruto said in salute, before dashing off in the trademark yellow flash.

Kiba was left with a giant cloud of dust in his face.

"NARUTOOOO!!!!!"

Obito had taken point and was leading the group as they hashed out a solid plan on Sakka's floor. He clapped his hands together with a grin that was so Minato-like it was eerie to Nami.

"So we start here. In Kusagakure. Nami, Sakka-chan, Faia-chan? We're gonna re-destroy the Kannabi bridge!"

----------------------------------------------------------------

For those readers who haven't read or watched Kakashi gaiden, The Kannabi bridge in Kusagakure was the bridge Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were sent to destroy. Rin was captured leading to a disagreement about whether or not to rescue her or get through with the mission first. Obito went to rescue Rin, giving Kakashi a firm talking to with a few well aimed words as kakashi went to continue the mission. Eventually Kakashi followed Obito and saved rin, but a rockslide ensued and Kakashi was hit in the back of his head. Obito pushed him out of the way at the cost of his on life.

Supposedly.

Obito: Yo! Please rate and reveiw! Yay! I'm not dead!

Kakashi: ... *Faint*...

Nami: You have got to be kidding....

Obito: What are you helping him for?! Leave him!

Sakka: .... Please r-rate and r-review everyone! *Blush*

* fight between Obito and now conscious Kakashi breaks loose.*

Naruto: Were they always like that?

Nami, Faia, Minora, Sakka, Akari (yet to be introduced), Arashi (yet to be introduced), Joru (yet to be introduced), Umiru (mentioned) : Worse...

Naruto: Yeesh... Pleaze rate and review while Nami and I get Ramen, and they break up the fight. Ja, ne!


	2. You're kidding, right?

You're kidding right?

By chibichan610

Edited by: Nami-chan

Okay, Credit for this story goes to Chibichan 610. I included it beccause it was so darn funny and because it inspired me for one of the chapters after this. I edited it a bit to flow with my story, so this isn't the origional. AGAIN ALL CREDIT FOR THIS CHAPTER GOES TO CHIBICHAN610!!!

Nami was angry. Hell, she was more than angry, she furious! Kakashi had, for once in his life, been courteous enough _**not to **__**grace them**_ with his annoying presence, and yet here she was, trudging to his house in the middle of a hot summer day. A perfect day for training, not fetching teammates. She had tried to convince Rin and Minato-sensei to just go on with out Kakashi, but Rin was fussing and whining the whole time Obito-kun and Minato-sensei had tried to assure her that Kakashi was fine. It was when she started to cry that Minato-sensei had insisted that she go and check on Kakashi and report back. Rin had looked relieved, but she and her brother Obito most certainly did not feel the same way.

The Uchiha-half breed marched up the front stairs to the Hatake Clan main house, and with a strength she didn't know she had, pounded on the door until the frame shook. Nami was about to unleash Hell on this good-for-nothing team-mate's door and she'd be damned if Rin or Minato-sensei were about to stop her. There was a surprised squeak heard from beyond the door, but she merely shook the sound away as if it were a pest. She knocked again, this time she was sure she heard the wood begin to splinter.

"Hatake Kakashi, so help me Kami, you had better open this door, or I'll tear you a _**fuckin'**_ new one!" Nami yelled at the door, ignoring the offended gasp of the two teenage girls behind her. Stupid fangirls. There was a large clatter from inside the house, and Nami tensed.

"Nami? Nami! Is that you? Help me! Please!"

That was definitely Kakashi's voice. Without hesitating, she pulled a kunai from her holster and eased the door open, slowly stepping in. Her eyes were wide open and her ears were alert as she used her shinobi skills to dart unnoticed into the sitting area.

"Nami! I'm in the kitchen! Please, help me! I'm not kidding," came Kakashi's weak whimpering reply.

For a moment, Nami paused. _Was_ Kakashi kidding? No. Kakashi wouldn't embarrass himself like _this_ just to get one over on her. Either way, she resolved, she _had_ to save Kakashi from whoever was attacking him. The poor Jounin sounded terrified. Running as fast as she could through the house and over the furniture, Nami leapt into the kitchen, kunai poised in a throwing position, ready to be hurled at the one attacking her team-mate.

And what she saw shocked the hell out of her.

To start off, there was no one in the kitchen, save for Kakashi. No one. No killer beetle-monster or dangerous shinobi. No youkai ready to devour the villagers one by one. No, but there was one Hatake Kakashi, up on the counter, his mask pulled down off his face, around his neck, and even then, Kakashi's hand held fast to it, pulling the fabric away from his neck as though he couldn't breathe. A look of pure terror was on the boys face, his eyebrows were creased back, and his lips were pulled down in a scared sort of pout, and he was whimpering beyond all comprehension.

"K...Kakashi...what the hell?!" Nami yelled, blushing as she realized she was staring, and not at all amused. Kakashi started to flail then, looking at Nami in complete panic.

"N-Nami! Please! It reacts to loud noises! Please, just make it go away!" His gaze turned back to something behind the counter that she couldn't see. Slouching out of her stance, Nami wandered to the other side of the counter. This had better be a man-eating youkai; that was all she had to say. Peering over the edge of the counter, Nami braced herself. She expected to see beady eyes, long, slick teeth, and a pool of blood on the floor. She saw none of those.

A small ball of fluff sat curled at the base of the counter, staring back at her with large round eyes. She pouted. She stepped around the counter and bent down to look closely at it. Kakashi whimpered as she got closer, as if he expected Nami to hurl the thing at him. Which now that she thought about it, _wasn't a bad idea_.

It was a cat.

An Uchiha cat to be specific. In fact, she knew this particular cat. It belonged to her little half-cousin Itachi, its name was Denka. Looking doubtfully back up at the Hatake, Nami reached a hand out to the small ninja kitten. The cat gazed at her for a moment before sniffing her fingers. After its kitty senses registered that she was someone it knew, Denka bound to her, practically knocking her over, and mewled happily. Kakashi let out a frightened scream, much to Nami's amusement.

"Oh KAMI! It's eating You! IT'S EATING-"

"Kakashi, you moron, he's not eating me!" Nami snapped, righting herself upward with Denka in her arms. "This an Uchiha familiar. His name is Denka, and he belongs to Itachi." said Nami, holding the small nin cat out for Kakashi's inspection. The usually dignified ninja let out a strangled scream again when Denka meowed at him. Nami wouldn't lie and say she wasn't amused (unless it was Minato-sensei or samdaime-ojiji asking) when Kakashi made to back-peddle away from the cat, and instead tumbled head first off the counter. Running around to check on her team-mate, she was slightly surprised when the dog-nin wouldn't allow her anywhere near him.

"K-k-keep th-th-that thing a-a-away f-from m-me!" he stuttered uncontrollably, his back pressed against the wall. Nami looked at him as if he had gone insane. _Well, I guess even Kakashi has to be afraid of something, _she thought as Kakashi shied violently against her in an attempt to get away from the cat.

"Ok, calm down Kakashi. I won't let him hurt you," She smiled, in hopes that it was reassuring. Nami _really_ wanted to laugh right there. "Come on, we can just go give Denka back to Itachi, and then we can go train. How does that sound, eh?"

Kakashi looked at her for a moment, before slowly standing, pulling his mask over his face, and staying glued to the wall the whole time. He looked warily at Denka, then back at Nami, before taking a small step forward and then pausing.

"....you....you're not gonna let him go are you?" he asked timidly, looking at Denka as though he were the gateway to hell in fur.

"No Kakashi," she responded, clearly annoyed. The silver hair Jounin nodded and took a few steps forward, but peddled backward faster then the speed of light when Denka mewled at him, and swished his tail back and forth.

"Oh for Kami's sake, you've got to be joking." Nami glared at Kakashi, sea green eyes blazing, in no mood to play. "Kakashi, if you don't move it _now,_ I swear to Kami, _I will fucking **sick** him on you_!" she yelled, free hand on her hip.

Kakashi knocked over three chairs getting to the door. Nami smirked and laughed quietly to herself as she followed. Lucky for the both of them, the Uchiha compound wasn't that far from the Hatake Clan main house. Even luckier, a little boy with an even smaller ponytail was dashing back and forth between houses, looking between bushes, and calling up trees.

"Itachi-chan! Oi! Are you looking for this?" called Nami as she held up Denka, ignoring Kakashi's flinch. Itachi ran up to them, his fleshy cheeks tinted red as he panted. "Denka-chan!" The little boy stood on his tippy-toes to retrieve his cat from his elder half-cousin's hands.

"Itachi-chan, you should keep a closer eye on him, he got lost in Kakashi-san's house." Nami scolded, like she was told to do by Fugaku-sama. Itachi fought to look up at her over the bundle of fluff in his arms.

"I-I'm sorry Nami-chan, but, he-umph" Itachi muttered as he fought to situate the nin cat in his arms so it could not escape. "he-got away, a-and Tou-san, umph, sent me to, ouch! Get him," the boy finished, looking slightly proud of himself that he trapped Tenka in his arms. Nami just smiled down at the little boy and patted his head. "Ok Itachi-chan. If Fugaku-sama asks," she said quietly, "You caught Denka-chan all by yourself," Nami winked at Itachi, who ran off back to the compound, grinning harder than his chibi little face could handle. Nami turned and began to walk towards the training ground. Kakashi followed without saying a word.

--

The rest of the day was a blur. Rin had been over-excited that Kakashi was ok, and easily bought his 'I slept late' excuse, which had Nami and Obito rolling their eyes. However, Rin had sprained her ankle, so Minato-sensei had called off the training session, and told Nami, Obito, and Kakashi to head home while he took Rin to the hospital to get checked on. As Nami, Obito, and Kakashi were walking home, the dying rays of the sun cool on their backs, Kakashi had asked Nami a strange request.

"Please, Nami-hime? Don't...Don't tell anyone about...you know..." Obito gave a _"What the_ fuck_?"_ look as Nami shook her head. Obito walked farther forward.

"The cat?" Nami supplied. Kakashi shuddered, but nodded never-the-less. Nami smiled and threw her arm around Kakashi's shoulders, and pressed her forehead to Kakashi's cheek. She never noticed the blush creeping above his mask.

"Ah, fine, but it's fair game if I summon my nin cats to fight your nin dogs you know!" she laughed. Kakashi nodded, smiling slightly. "Just...just don't _sick_ them on me," he joked nervously, pressing his pointer fingers together shyly, and earning him a good laugh from the girl.

"But, no, seriously Kakashi....you were kidding right?"

"Um...'fraid not."

"Oh...really?"

"Yeah."

Nami stared at him in disbelief.

Kakashi stared in embarrassment.

"..."

"..."

"Oh, I am _so_ gonna kick your ass! With _nin-cats­_! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Nami said as she ran forward to catch up with her brother, who raised an eyebrow at his tanechigai. (half sister)

_**"NAMI!!!"**_


	3. Explain that

Nami turned onto her back as she slept on top of a blue sleeping bag near the border of Amegakure; in her opinion the country was much nicer than Wind. The cool green grass felt good as her hand slid off her stomach. However, it was barely registered by the sleeping missing nin.

She was having that same awful nightmare again.

'_The Kyuubi was ravaging the village. Nothing any of the shinobi and kunoichi threw at it had any effect whatsoever._

_Nami knew she had to do something. She had to take Minato sensei's place in the sealing! She wouldn't die, but if Minato sensei… He was as good as dead! Nami willed herself to move, to run behind Kakashi as he ran past her with the newborn Naruto. Kakashi chanced a look back at her. Her clothes were burnt and ripped, and she was crying. Instantly he knew._

_His teammate Rin Haruno was gone._

_And when he gave the baby to his teacher, he'd be gone too._

_He kept going and soon Nami couldn't see him anymore. She willed herself to move, finally having the courage to do the right thing, just as an ear splitting roar and an explosion obscured the Kyuubi from view. When the smoke cleared, she could vaguely see the Yondaime Hokage atop Gamabunta as he fell forward. The Kyuubi was gone._

_She had been too late. And the shock wave from the event made the weak building she was standing on collapse. She screamed as she fell through, and was silenced when the rest of the building caved in on top of her.'_

Nami's head shot up as the nightmare ended, silent tears streaming her face and her body drenched in cold sweat. She wiped her eyes and stared at the diamond-splattered sky, wondering if Minato could ever forgive her for being such a coward. She sighed and wiped her face, and preformed a jutsu that her mother had taught her in secret.

"All Seeing Sky no Jutsu!" she whispered. The jutsu allowed her to use the sky as sort of a reflecting mirror so she could see what was happening in far away places. Even Obito didn't know about this jutsu. She checked up on Kakashi and his team and smiled.

Oh, Naruto…

----

"Kakashi-sensei! Y-You're early!" Sasuke said quietly, shock evident on his face.

"Hai… Why? Problem?"

Team seven shook their heads. Three simultaneous "Iie sensei" s rang out as the team got moving away from the giant gate that led out of Konoha's northwest side.

"NARUTO! ONIISAN!" Yelled a blue eyed blond that eerily reminded the team of Naruto's signature oiroke no jutsu as she ran up.

"Minna-chan?"

"Tsume got word that Obito and them are gonna re-destroy the Kannabi bridge in Kusa! You can rendezvous with them there."

Kakashi stiffened at the name.

"Thanks Minna-chan. You sure you don't wanna come? It's gotta be better than getting stuck at the academy with Iruka sensei."

"I'm sure. Thanks for the offer though. Ja, Oniisan!"

"Ja."

Naruto waved at his elder sister and motioned for everyone to continue. Kakashi seemed a little anxious.

"Mou, Kaka-sensei, I'm curious."

"Uh-Oh…" Kakashi snickered. Naruto mock punched his arm as the two fell slightly behind Sasuke and Sakura, who were bickering about something trivial. (A/N Sakura needed some added backbone, so now she sees Sasuke as more of... well... A punching bag... Sorry sasuke fans...)

"You seem anxious to get this mission over with and rendezvous with Nami and Obito. Why so?" Naruto asked. Kakashi sighed.

"I haven't seen them since I was at least 14… well, fifteen with Nami, but anyway, I missed them. Obito was my best friend, even if he didn't know it. And here my arrogant ass got him killed. Or at least that's what I thought up until about 11 am this morning. That Kannabi bridge Minora was talking about, was that mission where Obito and I... Had that disagreement I told you three about. Nami, I thought she died during the Kyuubi attack. When the fourth sealed the Kyuubi, it sent back a shock wave and it destroyed the building she was standing on. I heard her scream and saw her fall through, but her body was never found because of the giant sinkhole under the building."

"…Kakashi sensei, you seemed very adamant about wanting to see Her in particular... What was she to you?" Naruto asked. Kakashi sighed.

"More than just my friend…"

----

Minora sat with Iruka, who, after finishing his duty of paper grading, had sighed and sat down, brows knit together with a sort of worried pout.

"Don't worry so much Iruka-koibito! My knuckle-headed little brother is fine!" She chided, running a petite hand over his rough one.

"Yeah, for now. But when he and Obito get together all that's gonna fly out the window!" he said, bitterly. Minora laughed.

"Eh, maybe. But Tsume said that Obito matured a lot since he was a kid. He's more likely to smack Naruto over the head, now, Hokage or not." she laughed. Iruka chuckled and sighed as the class of academy students came back from recess.

----

"Obito-kun, we should have reached the border of Kusa by now. But the map and my Gps say we've just entered Ame!"Faia exclaimed,earning a rather haughty look from Obito.

"I know. We've been under a genjutsu for over three hours. We're still on course, but I'm just waiting for the caster to show himself." He replied. His tanechigai rolled her eyes as an Amegakure nin released the genjutsu and aimed his rather large zanbatou swords at the group. Zabuza of the mist was now among them.

Nami stepped forward. Laughing.

"Long time no see, Zabu-kun. How has Haku fared, eh?" She asked. Zabuza glared before smiling at her, bandages over his face gone.

"I'm afraid that Haku-kun is no more. How is Kakashi, and his genin brats? I'm sure the jinchuuriki has made quite the name for himself ne? I hear Seven is a lucky number." Zabuza laughed. Something was off about him. Other than the obvious absence of his mask. Nami spotted it quickly. His sword. It was a newer, chakra infused blade.

She smirked.

"So it would seem, Bubu. I'd like you to meet my brother and my friends. Obito-aniki, Faia-chan, Sakka-chan? Zabuza-kun. Or as I like to say, either Zabu-kun or Bubu. Bubu-kun, My brother Obito, and my friends Sakka-chan and Faia."

Zabuza smiled at the formalities and swung his large sword over his shoulder. Zabuza's attire hadn't changed from his picture in the bingo book, but Obito had to wonder what this was all about. And WHY THE HELL WAS HIS LITTLE SISTER BEING SO DAMN NICE TO A FUCKING MISSING NIN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!?

All of the party besides Zabuza and Nami were wondering the same thing. Why was Zabuza being so nice to a little Konoha kunoichi and vice versa? When the two noticed the confused stares, they laughed.

"Mou, to answer the question we know you're all thinking, Bubu-kun and I used to date." Nami said, as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

The look on the faces of her teammates, however, suggested the complete opposite.

Obito's face, twisted into something between shocked disbelief, and a barely controlled rage that would've made the Kyuubi shudder.

"NANI!?"

----

"Kakashi-sensei." Sakurasaid quietly. They had reached a small dome made of rock and enemy ninja were bustling around it. The sight of the stone dome brought back painful memories for Kakashi.

'This time, Obito, only the enemy is going to die!' Kakashi thought, pulling a shuriken from his pouch. he was better at throwing kunai, but he only needed a distraction, and if the shuriken veered off course, the enemy wouldn't be able to pinpoint him... he hoped.

----

"Mou, calm down aniki. Nothing happened. And besides, it wasn't even real dating, just a bunch a missions we went on together. We never even Kissed!"

"Onii-chan... I really don't care, but my faith in your choice of men is seriously waning..."


	4. Raikiri?

Raikiri

by vernajast

Edited by Nami-Tamora-Uchiha

o O 0 O o

**Two years post-Kyuubi attack; Kakashi is 17 and Nami is 16.**

Kakashi loosened the stranglehold on his chakra and stood up. With a long sigh, swiping the back of his sleeve across his forehead and leaving his hand there to block the sun, he let his eyes roam, unseen from within the shade of his arm. Looking without appearing to look. Hoping without appearing to...

He didn't like where that thought was going and derailed it immediately, flipping back around to take another go at _Chidori_. There was something missing from the control element; something he couldn't _see_.

He tried again, centering chakra at the ends of his fingers, building up a charge of elemental electricity. Kakashi raced forward and slammed Chidori into a tree, smashing the wood in a fiery explosion.

He landed flat on his back twenty paces away, something that couldn't happen in battle--not if he wanted to live.

And these Chidori were only charged to a third of its full potential.

"You're doin' it wrong, Kaka-baka."

"You."

"Don't sound so surprised, teme. You knew I was there the whole time."

Instead of a retort, Kakashi spared a few seconds longer to glare at Nami, taking in the curly brown-black hair, the confident stance...ignoring--not avoiding--the odd blue mangekyou, and then turned back to his work. He charged Chidori again, realizing he could only manage perhaps one last after this before giving up for the week.

His back still to her, Kakashi surged forward, slamming his hand into another tree.

"...shi..."

Someone...

"...Akashi! Kakashi! Hey!"

Opening his eyes, Kakashi found Nami leaned over him, shaking him. _Touching_ him. He winced, shying away from the probing fingers, then slapped at Nami's hands on his shoulders. "I'm fine."

"Kakashi--"

"I'm fine." He started to walk away, his final Chidori charging, pouring the last of his strength into controlling the white hot chakra that jumped at his fingertips.

Nami slid up behind him, the flat of her stomach against the small of Kakashi's back. Kakashi's wrist taken firmly in hand even though chidori's excess electricity must have singed the girl's arm, her thin jacket. Lips very close to Kakashi's ear brushed his skin and whispered over the screaming Chidori, "Let me help you. I can _see_. Let me be your eyes, Kashi-kun."

Kakashi hated the part of himself that winced when she resumed using the honorific on the end of his name. For a moment, just a moment, he'd felt like...Abruptly, the truth of the situation solidified in his mind: he was standing flush against and leaning back _into_ Nami. A twitch deep in his gut, admittedly a bit _below_ his gut, wrenched, and Kakashi swallowed, fighting the urge to press his ear toward the lips and breaths that were so close.

_So close._

Again, that wrenching twitch, and instead of following his instincts, he leaned slightly away, putting distance between their faces, mouths, eyes. He mumbled, "Show me," and Nami's silent nod shifted at the edge of Kakashi's vision. The girl he often called stupid, temperamental, and crazy started to talk, and before long, Kakashi had forgotten her body warming his and the strong albeit feminine hand grasping his arm, completely taken in by the amazing explanation.

"--'cause it's here, in your wrist. And here, in your shoulder. Instead of focusing on your fingertips, focus on those two places. Control the flow, not the flood."

Was it something sensei had told the girl? Kakashi didn't think so; why would he? It was just Nami, stumbling onto something profound, probably completely unaware of her own...

"...genius."

A little shake rocked the body against his, and had it not sent a sharp wave of sensation through his body, Kakashi might have been able to discern that it was laughter and would have realized she'd said the word aloud. He couldn't. Couldn't concentrate, couldn't think. He was acutely aware of the feel of Nami's heat behind him, the way his body was responding to the hinted tang of the other teenager's sweat...Nami always smelled of flowers and grass and what Kakashi imagined _home_ must smell like. The childhood smell of the Hatake estate had long been supplanted in his mind by that sweet, earthy scent, and he inhaled it deeply, centering his mind and forcing a return to the task at hand.

_Shoulder...wrist...fingertips relaxed..._

"There!" Nami shouted, jumping back as Chidori changed from a violent cloud of barely controlled chakra to a focused edge of white electricity. It screamed across the clearing and Kakashi charged.

He cut down three trees in succession before letting the chakra dissipate; the sound of a thousand electric birds fading out and giving way to the real ones. There had been no explosion, no pain; no concussive aftershocks. And the trees were cleanly cut, he was certain. With a grin behind his dark, sweat-soaked mask, Kakashi fell back into the grass, panting with effort and chakra depletion, watching the sky through a newly made hole in the canopy.

He'd been working on Chidori for four years, always out-of-sight; out-of-range of the village. Away from Nami, who seemed not to mind being left-out until recently. It had taken real effort to escape her the last two times. Today, Kakashi had simply rolled his eyes and allowed his other rival to watch, hidden in the bushes. He'd hoped to make the girl jealous. He hadn't considered that she might actually help.

Nami came bounding up to him, a loose, loud ball of ecstatic chakra. When she saw Kakashi lying on the ground, her signature shifted in pattern and form. Its usual spiking excitement became a calm orb of concern and, for the first time, Kakashi was actually watching when it happened.

The dark haired girl flopped to the ground beside her teammate, arms folded behind her head, staring up at the slowly coasting clouds. After a few long minutes of quiet amidst the trees and birdsong--longer than Kakashi would have expected from Nami, as he'd missed the many moments over the years in which she observed him in silent solitude-- Nami sighed and sat up. It seemed she would continue to move past sitting, intent on standing and walking away. Without a conscious thought, Kakashi sat up and reached out in one fluid motion, snagging the black jacket's hem and yanking her back to the ground before his better judgment could stop him. Nami landed with a surprised "oomph" and a muttered curse, but immediately changed direction as soon as she hit the ground. Kakashi was still staring in shock at the hand that had reached out to the girl in the first place, and to his continued horror, Nami's hands suddenly shoved him forcefully flat against the ground.

"You know, Kashi...you coulda just _asked_ me not to go. I...I woulda stayed if you asked..."

"Then, stay?" Kakashi whispered it, looking up at Nami from where he lay on the ground. Though the pressure of Nami's chest against his own wasn't all that much, certainly nothing he couldn't handle, Kakashi thought the words had sounded laced with too much need, so he added, "But move, Wavie-chan. You're heavy." Nami lingered, catching Kakashi's coal gray eyes with her own dark blue ones, then rolled away to lie on the grass, slightly closer than before.

Nearly an hour later, as Nami felt herself starting to drift to sleep and the sky was beginning to streak with the oranges and reds of sunset, she heard something that sounding very much like "thank you" as it would sound if muttered from beneath a cloth mask facing in the opposite direction. Nami chuckled silently as she looked at her burnt hand ,happily surprised by the spontaneous show of gratitude.

Then, a hand silently curled itself into Nami's, fingers lacing with hers. That hand...it was the ungloved hand Kakashi had used to produce Chidori. Palm pressed skin-to-skin with Kakashi's, Nami's expression became serious as she held her breath, willing the moment to freeze, to never end.

A little clearer and much closer than before, she heard, "Nami...thank you," and felt a tentative squeeze on her singed hand.


End file.
